VARADHARAJA PERUMAL TEMPLE, KANCHEEPURAM :
Varadharaja Perumal temple is a hindu temple dedicated to lord vishnu located in the holy city of kancheepuram , Tamilnadu, India. It is one of the divya desams, the 108 temples of Vishnu believed to have been visited by the 12 poet , saints or alwars.It is located in the suburb of kancheepuram known as vishnu kanchi that is a home for many vishnu temples. One of the great hindu scholars of vaishnava visishtadvaita philosophy, ramanuja is believed to have resided in this temple .The temple along with Ekambareshwar temple and kamakshi Amman temple in kancheepuram is popularly known as mumurtivasam, while Srirangam is referred to as 'the kovil ' and Tirupati is known as 'malai'.Among the divya desams , KANCHEEPURAM Varadharaja Perumal temple is known as the Perumal kovil .This is one of the most sacred place for vaishnavites.
PADMAPRIYA I
Varadharaja Perumal temple is a hindu temple dedicated to lord vishnu located in the holy city of kancheepuram , Tamilnadu, India. It is one of the divya desams, the 108 temples of Vishnu believed to have been visited by the 12 poet , saints or alwars.It is located in the suburb of kancheepuram known as vishnu kanchi that is a home for many vishnu temples. One of the great hindu scholars of vaishnava visishtadvaita philosophy, ramanuja is believed to have resided in this temple .The temple along with Ekambareshwar temple and kamakshi Amman temple in kancheepuram is popularly known as mumurtivasam, while Srirangam is referred to as 'the kovil ' and Tirupati is known as 'malai'.Among the divya desams , KANCHEEPURAM Varadharaja Perumal temple is known as the Perumal kovil .This is one of the most sacred place for vaishnavites.
PADMAPRIYA I
LEGEND:
ReplyDeleteIndra, the king of celestial deities, after getting released from the curse of Goddess Saraswati, installed the silver and golden lizards who were the witness of the ordeal. Brahma performed a yagna here, which was about to be washed away by the fast flowing river Vedavathi. The temple deity, Vishnu laid himself flat to stay the flow and the yagna was successfully performed. Vishnu emerged with brilliance of thousand Suns as Devarajaswamy and stayed here permanently. As is the case with the association of South Indian temples with a sacred tree, the name of the temple, Attigiri is derived from Atti tree, considered sacred to Vaishnavas.
As per Hindu legend, Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, separated with his wife Saraswathi over a misunderstanding. He did an Aswameda worship (with a horse) seeking boons from Vishnu. Vishnu was pleased by the devotion and came out from under the earth as a boar and got Saraswathi unite with Brahma. As per another legend, Saraswathi cursed the king of celestial deities, Indra, to become an elephant and roam around the place. He was relived off the curse with the divine power of Vishnu, who appeared as the mount, Hastagiri. Attagiri indicates a mount in the form of elephant. As per another legend, the disciples of sage Gautama were cursed to become lizards. They resided in the temple and were relieved off the curse by the divine grace of Vishnu. There is a panel in the temple where the two lizards are depicted in the roof of the temple.
Thirukkachi Nambigal(Also known as Kanchi Purnar) was an ardent devotee of this temple. He used to bring flowers everyday from Poovirundhavalli, where he maintained a garden. He did Aalavatta Kaingariyam, waving to produce breeze with the help of hand fan. It is believed that Vardharaja used to converse with him, while he was doing that seva. Aalavatta Kaingariyam is a worship practise followed in modern times also.
Nambi also composed Devarajaashtakam(A Sanskrit poem of 8 verses) on the presiding deity. Sri Ramanujar, another great Vaishnavite, got answers to his six questions from Lord Varadharaja through Sri Thirukkachi Nambigal.
J N Chandra Kala
Festival and religious practises:
ReplyDeleteThe temple is famous for its huge umbrella used during festive occasions. During the bhramotsavam (major festival) in Vaigasi (May/June), thousands of people throng the temple and that increases at least by a two-fold during the Garuda Vahanam and the Ther festival (temple chariot).
The priests of the temple are believed to be the descendants of Yagya Valkier.
N.SAVITHA